Because nursing is a very challenging career, many nurses face burnout. How will you prevent becoming burned out?
The interviewer asks this question to determine if the candidate is aware of nursing burnout and if they are already preparing themselves for the prevention of such. Burnout is a significant concern in the nursing industry, as nurses often become burned out from the stress, emotional toll, and long hours. To effectively answer this question, you should express that you are aware of nursing burnout and provide examples of ways you are preparing yourself to mitigate burnout. Try to include an example from your career/schooling where you avoided getting burned out in a job or project using specific techniques.
"While in nursing school, I became informed of nursing burnout. I never thought about burnout before, so when I first learned of it, it was quite a surprise. However, while doing my clinical rotations, I quickly saw why nurses become burned out so quickly. Being a nurse can be very stressful, tiring, and emotionally taxing, and if you don't do something to counteract these things, you will get burned out. I am big on being mindful, practicing yoga, and taking care of my overall wellness. I feel if I continue to focus on these aspects of my life, I will be able to stay more in tune with my nursing career and prevent myself from becoming burned out."
"As an accountant, I have experience working in a career with a high burnout rate. However, I have always been able to avoid becoming burned out by not allowing work to consume my entire life. While work is important, and I am completely dedicated to my job while I am working, I spend a lot of time volunteering outside of work for other causes that are important to me. The time I spend volunteering allows me to decompress and focus on something else, which prevents me from becoming burned out at my job. When I become a full-time nurse, I intend to continue my volunteer work, which I think will help prevent me from burning out in my nursing career."
"One of our critical care professors explained that she saw many of her fellow ICU nurses coping with the stress of critical care nursing by developing unhealthy habits, like excessive drinking. This professor said that she had initially fallen into this trap until she realized how destructive alcohol was to her health. She felt that having healthy outside coping skills is essential to prevent nursing burnout. This particular professor used training horses as her healthy outside coping skill. I like to run and hike, and I find that these activities bring balance to my life."
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